The Saturday Dinner
by blvdgirl
Summary: Episode tag to Metamorphosis. Cassandra's learns of Ner'ti's death from her makeshift family. Cass' pointofview. Oneshot.


Disclaimer- I don't own Stargate, but, boy, do I like it.

Season 6, Tag to Metamorphosis

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THE SATURDAY DINNER

Cassandra eyed Sam warily from across the chessboard. It was Saturday afternoon, and they had been playing together for a little over an hour. Cass had originally planned on going to the mall with some friends today, but Janet had told her that she had to cancel to keep her chess-date with Sam. And, while she had ranted and wailed about the injustice of it all to Janet, a part of her was glad to stay in and be with Sam. After all, it had been over a month since their last game, over a month since Sam had spent a Saturday on-world, and Cassie had missed their time together. Cassie always felt completely safe and completely loved with Sam. She felt that with Janet too, but Sam never told her to clean her room which gave her the edge in Cassandra's mind.

In the background, she could hear Janet fussing about in the kitchen trying to get dinner ready. They were all coming to dinner tonight: Jack, Jonas, Teal'c, even General Hammond. And even though they were like her family and even though Sam was trying to act like it was all routine, Cass could feel that there was something more to it. Like the pieces of the chessboard before her, they were maneuvering into position, preparing to make their move. But she had no idea what in the world it could be.

Janet had invited them all to dinner casually at Cassie's basketball game last night–the game they all just happened to show up at (except for General Hammond, of course). There they were, SG-1, to watch her play. Cass was convinced that it wasn't a coincidence. Sam and Jack had been to some of her games before when they weren't off-world, sometimes together and sometimes separately. Sam always sat and chatted companionably with Janet during the game, gossiping about whatever it was they gossiped about and, of course, discussing Cassandra. Jack was a different story–on more than one occasion, Jack had been threatened with removal from the game because he terrified the refs with insults and colorful comments. Of course, whenever Jack came to a game he always insisted on taking Cass out for pizza afterwards, and how could a girl refuse that kind of offer? But, it was unusual for Teal'c and Jonas to attend. They had been entertaining to watch during her occasional breaks on the sidelines–Teal'c sitting perfectly still, unharassed by the mayhem around him, betraying no emotion at all unless Cassie shot a basket and Jonas eagerly asking an irritated Jack questions about the game and smiling and waving wildly whenever she glanced in his direction.

Jonas made her laugh. He was the newest member of her makeshift family. She had only known him for a few months, but he already seemed to her a likeable older brother: energetic, fun, goofy, and, fortunately, not too protective. He was a mischievous fellow conspirator who had taken her side in many an argument claiming, "We aliens have got to stick together." A couple of her girlfriends had asked her about him after the game saying that he was hot, but Cassie didn't see him that way at all and so had responded, "Gross! He's like my brother!"

Jonas had replaced Daniel on SG-1. Cassandra hadn't quite gotten used to missing him. She had even looked for him for a moment in the bleachers with the others before she remembered that he was gone. Jack had tried to reassure her that Daniel wasn't really gone, that he was present in a different way. She believed him–after all she'd seen, heard, and done in her young life, it was pretty easy to believe in the unbelievable–but she still missed Daniel. Especially the way that he could be her intermediary with Janet when they had their increasingly frequent squabbles.

Sam moved a knight leaving a rook open to one of Cass' bishops. Wow! There really must be something big going on, Cassie thought, for Sam to make a mistake like that. In three moves, Cass had her and the game was over. Sam laughed and complimented Cassie on her strategy, but Cass knew that Sam knew that she was distracted and wasn't convincing anyone and, moreover, that Cass knew that she knew...

Fortunately, the doorbell rang and General Hammond arrived. Janet came out of the kitchen to welcome him and offer him a drink. Janet was obviously frazzled. The rest of SG-1 was due to arrive at any time, and it was apparent that dinner preparations had not been going soothly. Sam and General Hammond both offered to lend a hand in the kitchen. Cassie followed them and perched herself on a stool at the counter to watch them. They worked busily and seamlessly, like their work always entailed them passing around spoons and pots and spatulas rather than taking them on adventures across the known universe in the face of hostile aliens. This is what makes them honorable, she realized looking on, their willingness to putter around in a kitchen. She knew that she too could offer to help, knew, in fact, that on any other day she would be required to help, but she didn't offer. She preferred to observe and wait and to take advantage of the almost magical shield that the heavy anticipation this particular night afforded her to sit and do nothing.

General Hammond was dressed in civilian clothes and had tied on a ridiculous-looking, red-checked kitchen apron, but Cassie couldn't help but feel confident and reassured by his presence. She had no first-hand experience with grandparents, not even her biological ones, but General Hammond occupied a grandfather-type space in her life and heart. He laughed with her and spoiled her (even to the point of the occasional unmentioned-to-Janet monetary gift). She knew that he had real grandchildren of his own, and it always touched her that he treated her this way.

The doorbell rang again, and the rest of SG-1 appeared. Cassandra, no longer forgotten or shielded by the weightiness of the night, was asked to set the table. Seven spots took a lot longer to arrange than the usual two, but Cass didn't really mind. The change was nice, and she was looking forward to an evening meal with more interesting topics for conversation than her algebra homework and her chores. Plus, she and Janet would definitely not get into a fight with company present. Though she loved Janet as much as she had loved her own mother, she also fought with her as much as she would have fought with her mother, and dinners between just the two of them could be stressful. So she set seven spaces. If she didn't suspect some nefarious motive for the gathering, the evening would have felt like a celebration.

Teal'c must have sensed a bit of what she was feeling because he gave her a reassuring smile while he filled the water glasses. His smile has come a long way in the five years I've known him, she thought. The first time she had seen it, it had seemed almost a grimace. His was the first face that she had seen following the terrible destruction of her home-world. Strong and strange he had appeared to her then when her childish hopes had fallen dead like the bodies all around her. But, his eyes had been kind, and he had gently held out his hand to her and rescued her–his awkward smile had pulled her towards salvation and a new life. He's less stiff and uncomfortable now, Cass thought, but I don't know if it's because he has gotten used to us or because we have gotten used to him.

Janet, Sam, Jonas, and General Hammond carried in the food and placed it on the table. Jack supervised from the head of the table and winked at Cassandra. She smiled. Jack could always set her at ease. He wasn't always predictable, but he was loyal, protective, and funny. And, he was much smarter than he acted. He never tried to play the role of father to her but was very much like an uncle--a bizarre yet much loved uncle. She knew of noone else who could so easily influence the two most important women in her life, and a girl needs that kind of back-up now and again, Cass thought.

They sat together around Janet's beautiful oak dining table. General Hammond and Janet on the ends, Teal'c and Jonas on one side, and Cass sandwiched between Jack and Sam on the other. It was a picture perfect moment until Jack cleared his throat. In that instant, Cass felt the weight of the past two days catch up with her and pen her in. "With your permission General, I'd like to get this over with before the meal," he began and chills ran up Cassie's spine. She reached out for Sam's hand. General Hammond nodded his approval for Jack to continue. "Cassie we've just come back from a mission that I think you should know about."

Cass tightened her grip on Sam's hand and flashed her eyes about at the concerned faces around her. "Yes?" She tried to sound nonchalant, but her approbation was obvious. She was never told about missions, and she'd learned over the past five years that SG-1 could grow quite impatient with whining and questions.

Jack continued, "Now, the government probably wouldn't approve of my telling you this as SGC missions are classified, but," he paused, a mischievous smile on his lips,"We didn't ask permission." He was looking at Cassie full on. She didn't look away and hide her face as she felt like doing, but nodded for him to continue. She had a knot in her throat and stomach. What could it possibly be, she wondered, that he feels he must tell me? Whatever it was, Cass felt that it must be terrible.

"We went to a planet on which a Go'auld had been conducting genetic experiments." Her stomach dropped–she suddently knew where this was heading. "It was Ner'ti, Cassandra."

Cassandra shivered–Ner'ti was the reason why everyone on her planet was dead and why she had almost died. She'd also been the reason for Cass' somewhat mortifying first kiss. She cleared her throat. "Was it bad?" she asked. "Was...were...was anyone hurt?" She looked down. Though she knew that Ner'ti's actions were not her responsibility, she always felt a little at fault for them. Jack had let Ner'ti go because of her, because he'd bargained Ner'ti's freedom for Cassandra's life.

"Yes. Some people were hurt. We suffered casualties. Heck, Carter almost died," Jack stated mundanely. Cassandra turned at looked at Sam, a horrified look on her face.

"Colonel!" Sam chastised. "It's okay Cass. I'm okay."

Cassandra looked back at Jack for reassurance. Jack smiled, "I said almost died, Cass–she's fine now. We fixed her. Or, at least, Ner'ti's science experiments did after they killed Ner'ti."

A wave of relief rushed through Cassie all the way to her fingertips upon hearing those last words. Was it possible? Was Ner'ti really... She looked at Sam, then at everyone else around the table in turn. "Killed her? They killed her?" Many nodding faces. "Then, she's gone? Really gone?"

Janet answered, "Yes, sweetheart, she's really gone. You won't ever have to be afraid of her ever again." Her lips formed a small smile as she added, "And neither will anybody else."

In that moment, a burden of fear that Cassie hadn't even known she was carrying seemed to melt inside her. She released Sam's hand to wipe the tears the were forming in the corners of her eyes quickly away. She returned her gaze to Jack and gave him a dazzling smile.

He shrugged his shoulders casually. "I just thought you'd like to know," he said and winked, and Cassandra, helpless to resist, laughed.

"Now then," he began while reaching for the rolls, "Let's eat."

"Not so fast, Colonel," Janet interrupted.

"What?" Jack asked."Why?"

"I believe, O'Neill, that in such circumstances as these it is customary to offer a word of thanks over the food before dining," Teal'c replied.

"Oh, of course," Jack answered looking slightly aggravated, "I knew that..."

Janet looked at her daughter, "Perhaps, you'd like to..."

"Yes. Yes, I'd like to," Cassie responded readily. At that moment she felt truly grateful, and she was more than willing to thank whatever benevolent force in the universe had not only brought both her and her family together safely to this time and place but also had surrounded them all with so much love.

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A/N-- This story was posted previously at minor grammar stuff has been changed. It was my first ever fanfiction. Please read and review.


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